Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 50, September 2013 | Page 29

Nutrition

Peanut Power!
As kids, a peanut butter and syrup sandwich is easily a favourite. Then you grow up, start worrying about your health and put your diet under a microscope. So should you ditch this old favourite, or can it be part of your healthy diet? We have good news for you! – BY SALOME SCHOLTZ, REGISTERED DIETICIAN

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on’t worry! Peanut butter offers a nutrient-rich addition to all snacks, meals and desserts. In this day and age of energy bars, protein powders and other quick ?xes, many athletes forget about real foods such as peanut butter. It’s tasty, inexpensive, satisfying and nourishing!

Choosing Right
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The rule is to consume an average of two tablespoons of peanut butter if you want to stay on the healthy end of the peanut butter consumption scale. That will supply you with an average of 9g of protein. This is why peanut butter on wholegrain toast, for example, makes for a great breakfast or pre-workout snack. You can also incorporate two tablespoons in a smoothie with ice, low-fat milk, a banana and a dollop of honey.

All natural (organic) peanut butter is a good choice if you want to minimise your intake of unhealthy fats and preservatives. Organic peanut butter usually has peanuts as the main ingredient, while others (non-organic) can sometimes contain other arti?cial ingredients to enhance the taste. The sugar content on the peanut butter should be one of the decisive factors. Commercial peanut butter brands can sometimes contain a lot of added sugar to enhance ?avour. Look out for the sodium content on the ingredients list. Again, natural brands usually have less sodium, and too much sodium can also mask the nutty ?avour.

So, don’t be shy to use the power of peanut butter! It’s one of the easiest ingredients you can use and it can de?nitely give you a little push just before a run. Just make sure you stick to the two tablespoon ‘rule’ and your body will bene?t.

HEALTHY FATS
Peanut butter contains both good unsaturated fats and bad satu rated fats. Fortunately, the majority of fat in peanut butter is unsaturated. The recommended two tablespoons of peanut butter provides about 190 calories in total, of which 140 is considered to be fat calories, or about 16g of total fat. Of these 16g of fat, about 13g are from unsaturated fats and 3g are from saturated fats. This means that it is actually a great source of healthy fats. A healthy body needs a good supply of healthy fats consumed in moderation, and like olive oil and avocado, peanut butter is a good source. A two-tablespoon serving of peanut butter will also supply you with 3g of ?bre. The ?bre in food contributes to a feeling of fullness that can help with maintaining a healthy body weight, and also promotes regular bowel movements by maintaining a healthy gut environment. By enjoying peanut butter on one slice of wholegrain bread, you can contribute 6g to 8g of ?bre towards the recommended target of 20g to 35g per day.

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